Porter Jr. entered college at Missouri last fall as one of the
top prospects in his freshman class. But back woes limited him to
just three appearances as he fell to Denver with the 14th pick in
the 2018 draft.

Diagnosed with two bulging discs, Porter Jr. said it wasn't
until his second spinal surgery in July that he finally felt
complete relief following an initial procedure last November.

"I don't have a date but I'm hoping to be back for the beginning
of the year," Porter Jr. told ESPN. "Gotta heal up, but I feel
great. I'm able to get on the court a little bit right now, do some
different things. But my rehab has definitely been very
conservative. They're really taking it easy with me, being patient
with me."

Indeed, Nuggets president Josh Kroenke had hinted after the
draft that, if necessary, Porter Jr. would skip his entire rookie
season if that's what it took to get completely healthy.

But now it seems they'll be able to add the 6-foot-10
sharpshooter sooner rather than later to an already potent team
that ranked sixth in offensive efficiency at 112.5 points per 100
possessions last season.